Orthoptic instrument



March 19, 1940. J. J. CULLEN 2,194,355

ORTHOPTIO INSTRUMENT Filed May 25, 1939 JAMES J. Cu LLEN BY dua 1 poss s Mali 19, 194s UNUED;

we ommmo iusfrnnmenr v games i. oinlenloheyenne; Wye. .ltspiieanmrmay is, 1939; ser s -no z'zssos V ton-imp o1.'-12s--'v;5i'1 l v l, l

I v for eitherfeye and into aneutral positionifor" hinocular vision; Y

.l?his invention relates tel-{improvements in oirthopticinstruments. I t

i In the treatment of theeye-where'thedefect cannot'he remedied by refraction alone, means havevbeenused forgtreatihg' the muscles so as to obtain impr veolv comdinationand focal adjustment. 1 a

1:; the object of. thisz'inverition to produce aiitthot is sdmirably adopted for simple instru-me m home treatment under theguidance'ofi aCtrained ooulist and by means otwhi ch-the rn'usoles of tne eyes can be esei cised in shall a way as to improve the'vision.

-c is not the intention, to go iiito' great detail concerning the methodtof treeltmenh-but in order to ma-lie theinven'tion and the ohjectsthereor more readilyappsrentthe following explanation will be made, Ii person had: one only the problem of it is evi'clc son and in such a waytl'ia t they Willbe focused on the same object; If-theseyes are not natur-' automatically, it must be remedied either by training themusclesfor by means of prisms. It is also essential that the focal adjustments must "pvbegelike and -if they. are not then suchodefects must be remedied either by useofflen sespr by,

properly prescribed muscular exercises.

the subject of this invention and Which will presently be described.

functions in the meinner of an ordinary stereoscope butemploys ,filnis instead of the usual mounted photographs.v

v In order to-moreclearly describe the invention,

reference will now behad to the accompanying drawing in'which it has been-illustrated, and in moved into position to entirely out ofi the light cor dinationuw'o elol not arise; but' v/ith two eyes t "that the two'eyes mustinove in unially so adjnsted'ahd related, that this takes place The methodpursue'd in this ca'se is' 'to ;.alternately subject the muscles to strains and'to-re-s laxation by means-oi the instrument that forms The instrument which will be employed for the} purpose of illustration is a modification" of an optical instrumentwhich is being marketed UH-f der the trade na'me'of THU-VUE a'nd which position. indicated Figure 1 is on end view looking inthe'direc- Figure 4 is a plan view of a slide which canv be t Figure 5 is an endview looking in the direc tier: of arrow 5, in Figure i; and. I

- Figure- 6 is a plan view of a rotatable wedge,

showi'i attl'ie right and marked SECg.

Infthe dre wingieierence numeralsv H! desigf f hate two parallel sight tubes, each of whiolfiis "provi-f d with a lens or eye; piece H. The tubes downwardly whehviewed as ine ig- X'i, f; not communicates with the outside through slot instrument, THU- V U of which thisiis" modification, is adapted; for use, witl fil ns and .at'tlie'ends' oflciiarnber 52 are slits through which the film passes;

erect-angular metelplate D is mountedtfort I longitudinal movement in chamber 42-. ElateD, hes a projection l l that extends through a slot C on the'other side froni'that shown in FigureB or atthe top'when viewed as: in Figure -Pr0 jeetion "it has a portionbent sideways toqform a flat finger grip, l5; Plate D is provided with two pewls it that are secured to the plate-"by' v springs ll flhe purpose of pawls'lfi is to fengage in sprocketopenings in afiim tomoveit in one. direction. r3013 the purpose] hereqconteni, plated the pawls 56 are needed fo'nly a partof the time and means has; therefore 7 been provided. for

end open into an e1ongated charnl'xerv l9? liq moving them ,to inoperative position and .for 1 holding them in suehposition as long as may bedesired For the purpose oil-rendering pawls inf operative and operative at will, a rotatable Wedge it has been inserted between plate D and springs llin sucha way that its sharp edgeext'ends in wardly towards rivets l9.- Wedg'e 18 extends to v the outside, through slot (Bend is provided at its outer end] with aknurled headflii. Aspring is.

usually provided for holding the plate D inthe by! 14 and 21},- but this is not essential.

lhe'size of plate D is such that when it ispo I i t sitioned midway between the tubesfit will oifer no obstruction to either. When it is mo'ved'to either extreme positiomit completely cuts oii all g light "through the corresponding tube. Y

The film employed may be the ordinarv stereit oscopio films sold for use with'TRU-VUE stereoscopes. v v j 5 cross seetion of the rotatable w'edge bein'gf 1 The instrument is employed in the following manner: A film is first put into position so that when seen binocularly, it will be viewed stereoscopically. The slide is now movedto one end and aKlens is inserted in the opening B.@ The type of lens, is prescribed by the oculist and it vmay be a plus or minus sphere or cylinder or a" prism. If the slide is now moved back to its intermediate position, there will be binocular ;vision, but one eye will be strained. In this way the muscles can be exercised, strained and ree laxed so as to strengthen them or modify their action to obtain the desired correction.

Having described the'invention what is claimed as new is: 1

I.- An orthoptic instrument, comprising in combination, two interconnected sight tubes arranged for binocular vision, an "optical lens in "one end of each tube, forming an eye piece, a

removable closure for the other ends of, the

tubes, saidclosure having an opening in alignment with each tube, a transversely movable slide positioned betweenthe end closure and the tubes, means for moving the slide to position it alternately across the light path of each-tube,

jthewidth of the slide being substantiallyv equal to the distance between the openings in the closure, whereby when the slide is in a central position, both openings will be wholly unobstructed. comprising in 2'. An orthoptic instrument, combination, two interconnect-ed sight tubes arranged for binocular vision, an optical lens in one end of each tube, forming an eye piece, a removable closure for the other ends of the tubes,

said closure having an opening in alignmentwith i each tube, there beinga passage adjacent the inner'surfa'ce for the reception of'afilm having stereoptic pictures thereon spaced to register with the openings, a slide positioned between the combination two interconnected-sight tubes ar-- ranged for binocular vision, an optical lens in one end of each tube forming an eye piece, a removable closure for the other end, each tube mediate position. f

film in one direction while-the slide is reciprohaving its well provided, with a lateral openingv adjacent'each lens for interchangeably support- 1 if ing corrective lenses, the closure having an opening in alignment with each sight tube, and a-v slide movably mounted betweenthe end closure" and the tubes for alternately closing and opening the passages through the tubes,the slide having t a width substantially equal to' the distance be tween the openingsin the closure, and means for .f

moving the slide and for holding it in an inter 4. An orthoptic "instrument, comprising, in

one end of each tube,forming an eye piece, a resaid 'closure having an opening in alignment combination, two interconnected sight tubes are ranged for binocular vision,fan optical lens in p v .15 v movable closure f orthe other ends of the tubes,

with each tube," there being a-passage between the closure'an'd; the ends of the tube for the 're'-' I I ception of a film having sprocket openings along its edges, aslide positioned adjacent one sideuof the film and mounted for transverse movement,

the slide having a-width substantiallyequallto the distance between the openings in theclosure', means accessible from the outside for moving the slide to alternately open and close the openings, ratchet pawls carried by the slide forengaging the sprocket openings for moving the cated and means accessible from the outside for-moving the pawls to inoperative position'and for-holding theminsu'ch position, I

5. An orthoptic instrumentcomprising ,a body having two spaced tub'ular members arranged,

for binocular vision one end of each tubular member having lenses and the other end a clo- 1 sure having sightopenings in alignment with v each tube, an opening'between the closure and the lens for the reception of a transparent film having images thereon, an opaque-plate slidably' mounted betweenthe lenses and' the film, the

plate beingmovable to alternately open and close.

the light passageswin the tubes whereby the 1m:

ages can be viewed with either. eye, the 'apaque plate, when in, a position corresponding to: the center of. its movement, leaving both light passages open, whereby the images can be seen with both leyes, the body having an opening-and a handle extending through the ing the'opaqueplatei I I V 1 JAMES J.-=CULLEN.

opening for mo 4 i 

